Data for the people

about the book

Every day, as you browse the Internet and carry your mobile phone, you create and share data about yourself. This data of the people and by the people is the most important economic resource of the twenty-first century, as important as oil. And as with oil, the real value comes from refining that raw material -- whether at giant multinationals like Google, Facebook, and Amazon or smaller outfits developing techniques to identify shopping habits, job productivity, or wellbeing from our digital traces.

In Data for the People, I show that it's misguided to fight for a naive conception of privacy or anonymity; that would mean giving up many of the products and services you've come to depend on. Instead, you must take an active role in extracting value from your data, especially as more data comes from social networks and sensors.

DANIEL KAHNEMAN

“Weigend is a bold explorer of the technological future. His compelling book maps the opportunities of a world without secrets.”

VINOD KHOSLA

partner, Khosla Ventures

“Data for the Peopleasks us to think seriously about the data we generate in our online world, and how we are increasingly losing control over it. Weigend acknowledges and embraces this future, and provides a framework and a call to action to ensure that in this world, as consumers, we can use and control our data in ways that are both transparent and beneficial to us.”

KENNETH CUKIER

senior editor, Economist, and coauthor of Big Data

“Data for the People is a brilliant guide for how individuals, companies, and policymakers can tap data’s value while retaining our human values. Thought-provoking—and action-inspiring!"